Then on Thursday (November 1), the thieves targeted the store in Truro at about 9am. An hour later they hit the shop in St Austell, where employee Melissa King said they giot away with nine phones. She said they cut themselves and left blood behind and forensic officers from Devon and Cornwall Police were at the shop for three hours.

The store at Tavistock in Devon was also hit.

Robbers hit the Carphone Warehouse store in Truro before moving on to St Austell and then outlets across Devon

A spokesman for Carphone Warehouse said: "The safety and wellbeing of all our staff and customers is our utmost priority . We’re working with the police to help them with their investigations.”

She also confirmed that the Newton Abbott, T ruro, St Austell and T avistock shops were targeted within the past 24 hours.

An employee at the chain's shop in Barnstaple in Devon said: "We are still open for business and we haven't had anything taken from this store.

"A security guard from Boots over the road chased them as they ran away."